Western Tori
Date1994
MediumWelded brass
Dimensions15 × 15 1/2 × 5 1/2 inches (38.1 × 39.4 × 14 cm)
Object number2024.8
On View
On viewCollections
Copyright© Estate of Jean Woodham.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextAlabama-born artist Jean Woodham pursued her career in New York City shortly after graduating from Auburn University in 1946. Woodham joined a group of eminent mid-20th century American sculptors working in the language of abstraction including Louise Nevelson and Dorothy Dehner, whose sculpture is also on view at the Jepson Center. Originally working in clay and Wood, Woodham mastered the technique of welding metal to fabricate her own sculptures, including some large-scale public art commissions. Western Tori is a formally expressive late-career work from a series exploring gateways (a torii is a traditional Japanese gate typically placed at the entrance of shrines) and in Woodham’s words, “Gateways are metaphors for life. The frames represent boundaries and restrictions. Doors and gateways also represent opportunities and the future.”